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Topic: Making Pizza in Baltimore (Read 4573 times)

Well, I'm back in the saddle and working on developing my concept in Baltimore! For the time being I have been making pizzas at one of the cafes that I own. I purchased a Nemco 120v double stack oven. As much as I would love to have a 220v, I am located in a building on the campus of The University of MD, Baltimore and I cannot have a higher amperage line added. This location has afforded me the ability to work on some recipes and flavor combinations and actually sell them to the public while I develop my recipes. I would consider the pizzas California style. The feedback has been great and I am really getting better at dough management and opening. We have done alot of sampling and we only sell pizza once a week (Thursday). I have been making 35 (10oz) dough balls a week I make as much as possible from scratch (currently using a modified NY Style dough recipe to match the underpowered oven). In my future pizzeria I would like to have a WFO (I know, big surprise here), but I fell in love with pizza in Naples and Sorrento years ago!.

I want to post some photos and use this thread to hopefully garner some feedback on a few ideas I have in the process. I will also post about opening a pizzeria and what that process entails.

I have in the past, but I am not currently making my own Mozzarella. My plan, once I get my Pizzeria, is to make the mozz in house. I also want to rig up my chimney to possibly smoke my own Mozz and other items. I've never seen this done, and I don't know if it's possible.

I have in the past, but I am not currently making my own Mozzarella. My plan, once I get my Pizzeria, is to make the mozz in house. I also want to rig up my chimney to possibly smoke my own Mozz and other items. I've never seen this done, and I don't know if it's possible.

Ideally you do not want to hot smoke mozzarella directly from your chimney. I wonder if there is a way to vent a portion of your chimney (with a closeable diverter valve to keep smoke going only up when making pizzas) into some type of cold box so you could cold smoke the mozzarella.

Interesting thought at least. I love cold smoked mozzarella. The cherry wood smoked mozzarella from Maplebrook Farms in Vermont is very, very good stuff! --K

I have in the past, but I am not currently making my own Mozzarella. My plan, once I get my Pizzeria, is to make the mozz in house. I also want to rig up my chimney to possibly smoke my own Mozz and other items. I've never seen this done, and I don't know if it's possible.

For smoking stuff like cheeses you need cold smoke. Take a look at this gizmo, I have and it does a great job. I just light it and set it in a box on a plate then put the food in the box. It smolders so it does not get hot, just smokey.

For smoking stuff like cheeses you need cold smoke. Take a look at this gizmo, I have and it does a great job. I just light it and set it in a box on a plate then put the food in the box. It smolders so it does not get hot, just smokey.

I've smoked mozz with my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker with great success. I was really just thinking outloud as to whether it would be possible to divert the smoke to cold smoke cheese. I don't think it's really cost effective, but it sounds awesome!

Ideally you do not want to hot smoke mozzarella directly from your chimney. I wonder if there is a way to vent a portion of your chimney (with a closeable diverter valve to keep smoke going only up when making pizzas) into some type of cold box so you could cold smoke the mozzarella.

Interesting thought at least. I love cold smoked mozzarella. The cherry wood smoked mozzarella from Maplebrook Farms in Vermont is very, very good stuff! --K

That was my thought exactly. Now, I think it may be possible to divert the smoke into a cold smoke chamber, but from my experience I'd have to use something other than Oak to for smoking purposes.

I am at UMB, in downtown Baltimore. I have two coffee shops on the campus, one at the Medical School and the other at the Law School. I make pizza on Thursdays only at my Law location. This Thursday is the exception as I will be out of town on a research trip for our Pizzeria.

Also, my Law location closes for the summer in mid May (the perk/pain of being in a host institution).